Unlike the preceding week, this week did produce some nice surprises, though overall migrant activity did remain somewhat underwhelming.

The week’s first real rarity actually arrived last Friday when a NORTHERN WHEATEAR was reported on Plum Island off Orient Point; access to this island is, however, very restricted and we have no further follow-up.

Then on Monday a SAY’S PHOEBE was found at Miller Field at the end of New Dorp Lane on Staten Island; the Phoebe remained on some ballfields for most of the day but was not seen subsequently.

And on Thursday morning a Hudson River watch at Inwood Hill Park on northern Manhattan produced a winter-plumaged RED PHALAROPE at Muscota Marsh—the Phalarope lingered long enough to be nicely photographed before flying off towards Harlem Meer.

Another nice Thursday rarity was a WESTERN KINGBIRD spotted at Robert Moses State Park alongside the four-wheel drive road and adjacent golf course just west of parking field 2.

Among the arriving waterfowl, the early-returning drake EURASIAN WIGEON was back on the East Pond at Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge as of Saturday, and a CACKLING GOOSE was noted with Canadas on Meadow Lake at Flushing Meadow Corona Park in Queens Tuesday and Wednesday.

So far absent this fall, an HUDSONIAN GODWIT was found yesterday at Cedar Beach County Park in Southold on Long Island’s North Fork.

As of Sunday, there were still 8 AMERICAN GOLDEN-PLOVERS and 6 BUFF-BREASTED SANDPIPERS on the Riverhead sod fields on the west side of Route 105 south of Sound Avenue. A WHIMBREL was in Bellport Bay on Sunday.

Some nice finds in Central Park featured a roosting EASTERN WHIP-POOR-WILL near the Loch at the north end last Saturday, a GRASSHOPPER SPARROW also on Saturday, and a DICKCISSEL at the Maintenance Meadow with HOUSE SPARROWS on Tuesday and Wednesday.

Certainly tops among the warblers this week would be the male GOLDEN-WINGED WARBLER found Saturday at Cedar Beach Marina during the Seatuck Birding Challenge. Also that day 2 LONG-BILLED DOWITCHERS were present at the Captree Island marsh, with 4 reported there Sunday, and among the other shorebirds gathered there were up to 5 PECTORAL SANDPIPERS and a single STILT SANDPIPER.

Three LARK SPARROWS found this week included one at Brooklyn Bridge Park at the Pier 3 uplands last Saturday, another at the Church of the Resurrection on Staten Island Saturday, and 1 at Floyd Bennett Field on Monday.

The Brooklyn Bridge Park bird was also joined by a CLAY-COLORED SPARROW, 2 great Sparrows for that site, and other CLAY-COLOREDS included 1 at Dreier-Offerman Park Saturday and Sunday, 1 at Floyd Bennett Field Sunday, these in Brooklyn, and 1 out at Smith Point County Park last Saturday. PHILADELPHIA VIREO was reported from Hempstead Lake State Park Saturday and Prospect Park from Sunday to Thursday.

A PARASITIC JAEGER was spotted harassing LAUGHING GULLS off Nickerson Beach last Sunday. LESSER BLACK-BACKED GULLS mostly along the coast included 27 between the Jones Beach West End 2 parking lot and the Roosevelt Nature Center last Saturday. A CASPIAN TERN was at Floyd Bennett Field today, with 2 ROYAL TERNS at Plumb Beach in Brooklyn Thursday.

Among the lingering warblers, a HOODED WARBLER was still in Prospect Park Thursday, and other recent migrants have featured YELLOW-BELLIED SAPSUCKER, AMERICAN PIPIT, GRAY-CHEEKED THRUSH and LINCOLN’S and NELSON’S SPARROWS.

To phone in reports, on Long Island call Tony Lauro at (631) 734-4126, or weekdays call Tom Burke at (212) 372-1483.

This service is sponsored by the Linnaean Society of New York and the National Audubon Society. Thank you for calling.